The present invention relates to forced air convection ovens and particularly to ovens for heating, browning and reconstituting or finish cooking of food products that have been at least partially precooked and then frozen for storage. Forced air convection ovens generally have a fan or blower for recirculating air over a heater and through the oven compartment that contains the food which is to be heated or finish cooked. A major problem in forced air convection ovens has been to obtain uniform heating and finish cooking of the food products in the oven, and this problem is aggravated when cooking food products at two or more levels at the same time in the oven compartment. When heated air is directed into the oven cavity only at the sides of oven cavity, food products placed on the peripheral region of the food trays are subjected directly to the hot air flows while food products in the middle region of the tray are heated after the hot air flows have been baffled and cooled somewhat by contact with the food products on the peripheral portions of the tray such that there is a difference in heating of the food products in the different portions of the tray.
Cleaning is another problem in forced air convection ovens. Forced air convection ovens usually provide baffles and or passages for controlling distribution of air flows from the blower to the oven cavity and oils, vapors and food particles are circulated with the heated air and tend to deposit and collect in various areas which are not accessible for cleaning in prior ovens. Such deposits, if not periodically removed, can adversely affect the atmosphere in the oven during subsequent cooking operations and impart undesired flavors to the food products being cooked.